CREDITS AND PARTNERS.

REGISTERED OFFICE

d

BANKERS

FUNDERS

SOLICITORS

AUDITORS

The Old Wharf, Station Road, Cuxton, Rochester, Kent, ME2 1AB.

National Westminster Bank PLC. PO Box 106, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1AG.

Triodos Bank NV, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AS.

Cripps Harries Hall LLP, Wallside House, 12 Mount Ephriam Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1EG.

Baker Tilly UK Audit, LLP, The Pinnacle 170 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes, MK91BP.

We Weren't Born Old

BY

THE ABBEYFIELD KENT SOCIETY STAFF

The Old Wharf, Station Road, Cuxton, Rochester, Kent, ME2 1AB.

01634 723 007

www.abbeyfieldkent.org

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

PAGE

1CHAIRMAN'S INTRODUCTION

8

d

II.

I.

IX.

VIII.

VII.

VI.

V.

IV.

III. THE WISH APPEAL

BOARD MEMBERS

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

STRATEGIC FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

OUR HOMES IN KENT

MISSION STATEMENT AND VALUES

18

22

30

54

60

48

36

WE WEREN'T BORN OLD.d

CHAPTER I.CHAIRMAN'S INTRODUCTION.

he theme of our report this year – We Weren’t Born Old – seems, on the surface, a statement of the obvious: nobody is born old! But the tendency of people to attach labels to groups, though understandable, dulls the perception that those with the label “old person” had other labels once, had other lives and other dreams.

The notion that life is a journey is not new but remains true. Childhood, adulthood, parenthood, these are all roads we take on that journey and, toward the end of that path, we become old.

Looking beyond the silver hair and features worn by the passage of time, it is hard to

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Chairman's Introduction2

imagine the young girl standing there with her life ahead of her, or the first-time father holding his new born child, heart filled with dreams for his son or daughter’s future.

And then there are all those other rites of passage like falling in love, finding that one, true soul-mate, passing your driving test, being given the keys to your first family home, seeing your son off on his first day at school, giving away your daughter’s hand in marriage.

Our staff know that our residents may indeed be labelled as “old” but they were not born old. They have lived lives filled with ups and downs, laughter and tears, good days and bad days, achievement and disappointment, all of which are the hallmarks of life itself. We recognise too that the attachment of that final label does not mean that our residents will no longer want or need novelty, stimulation, entertainment and the right to an enriched and vibrant existence. The journey continues, life goes on with all its excitements and possibilities, right to the very end. And every journey is unique.

3Chairman's Introduction

The Abbeyfield Kent Society is immensely proud to have been part of the lives of the babies, children, teenagers, service men and women, mothers and fathers, workers and housewives, who are now with us. We have been looking after these former youngsters for almost 50 years and we will continue to do so for as long as these grown up children want care, compassion and companionship as they move toward the final stages of that journey called life.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped The Abbeyfield Kent Society continue to do its vital work so well during the year. First and foremost the staff and volunteers, the residents themselves, of course, and their relatives. We also have enormous support from stakeholders and others who recognise the importance of what we do and there really are too many of them to list! Last, but absolutely not least, I would like to thank my fellow Trustees for their time, energy and commitment, without which we would not be able to do what we do. Trustees are often the unsung heroes of a

Chairman's Introduction4

successful charity and I am proud to be able to acknowledge publicly the enormous contribution they make.

nce upon a time,

in the autumn of 1927,Beatrice Norwood was born in Rainham, Kent. Beatrice,

who went on to be known as Beatie, spent the first few months of her life in hospital due to problems with her ears, thankfully, after six months she made a

full recovery and was able to join her nine brothers and sisters at home.

Beatie met her husband very early in life, when she was six years old in fact, as they were next door neighbours growing up! Frank and Beatie

married in Rainham and he went on to work as a doctor during WW2, whilst she embraced a varied

career working as a housekeeper, nursery maid and wet nurse.

After having children, the family used to enjoy days out and holidays, one of Beatie’s fondest

memories is when she spent her wedding anniversary with Frank on the Orient

Express.

Today, Beatie lives at Watling Court in Gravesend where she enjoys knitting

for her grandchildren, singing and chatting about her life.

Qs

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BEATIE NORWOOD.

WATLING COURT RESIDENT.

AGED 89.

CHAPTER II.REVIEW OF THE YEAR.

ur residents are not the only ones that were not born old: The Abbeyfield Kent Society will be 50 years old next year and is approaching middle age with confidence.

From very modest beginnings, the Society has grown steadily over the decades since the famous summer of love back in 1967. In that time it has faced plenty of challenges in the light of changing needs, high demand, evolving expectations and, of course, ever tougher regulatory requirements.

Having said that, nothing in the Society’s history comes even close to the challenges before us now in the years immediately ahead. These challenges are not unique to us: all care providers who work in the non-luxury end of

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Review of the Year9

the market in England are in the same boat.

What is the main challenge we all face and what is this organisation doing about it?

Well, the best way I can summarise the issue is this: we are expected to raise standards of care higher and higher with less and less money. We have no issue with raising standards, of course. We have a policy of continuous improvement and that is a matter of record. But when regulators tell us to increase staffing levels to a point well beyond what local authorities and private residents are prepared to pay, something has got to give.

To add even more to the challenge, many local authorities – including Kent County Council – are adopting policies that mean only people with high and complex needs are being placed in residential care homes. The cost of caring for such residents is, of course, high, but there is a real reluctance to accept the higher costs associated with caring for these very vulnerable residents.

10Review of the Year

The clear message is that there will be a significant reduction in the number of residential care homes and greater emphasis on people being cared for at home. Leaving aside issues of loneliness and isolation, how can anyone guarantee the quality of care provided behind closed doors, often for maybe 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the late afternoon or evening?

So, what are we doing about it?

First of all we are promoting our domiciliary care service, Caring Companions. It does not and will not provide a cut-price, no frills service of the kind that provides the bare minimum to people cared for in their own homes. The emphasis is on the “companionship” element. Helping an older person out of bed, washed and dressed and preparing breakfast is important, of course, but equally important is the human contact, the friendly chat, the listening, yes: the companionship.

Some of our residential care homes have been closed or are in the process of being closed.

Review of the Year11

The decision to do something so drastic is never taken lightly and is always a last resort. But homes that are not capable of dealing with the high and complex needs I referred to earlier have no future in the current funding regime. The axe of austerity is one without sentiment. Older people’s services often represent a local authority’s highest spend. It’s not surprising that this is where cuts will be made under pressure to reduce costs.

The alternative to carefully planned and managed closure is to let a home bleed to death as staff and residents leave and the place degenerates into a shadow of what it once was. That’s not acceptable or humane, nor it is economically viable.

We are in transition from the old, no longer affordable regime to one which has a longer term future and which is more affordable for local authorities and private individuals. It’s called extra-care.

Extra-care homes are essentially supported housing schemes where the tenants have

12Review of the Year

care needs that can be met by people who come into their homes to provide it. Take our extra-care scheme at Watling Court in Gravesend. Here we have 56 self-contained apartments – enough for 70 people over the age of 55. Each apartment is equipped to a very high standard with modern kitchens and all the facilities needed to live entirely independently. But, in addition to the private dwellings, there are large and comfortable communal areas, smaller lounges and – crucially – a restaurant where the residents come together for a meal once a day. They don’t have to, but they almost always do, for the company, for the companionship, for the human contact that is an essential need for all of us.

The care needed by our tenants at Watling Court is given by domiciliary care providers like Caring Companions. We’re delighted that over 90% of our residents at Watling Court choose us to provide their care needs, but they are not obliged to. They can go to any provider they choose. The fact that so many choose us is gratifying.

Review of the Year13

We are, therefore, in the process of building more extra-care schemes on the sites of some of our residential homes and adapting others to cater for people with high and complex care needs of the kind that can’t be met in any other environment. We are also building a care and nursing home with 101 bedrooms on the site adjacent to our Woodgate home in Tonbridge. Barnes Lodge will be the first home that will provide nursing as well as high level residential care. It’s under construction as I write this and I look forward to telling you more about it in next year’s annual report.

Looking back now at what we have achieved since I last sat down to write an annual review, I find the usual, gratifying list of things we have done and, once again, I don’t have space to list them all. But here are a few highlights.

Margaret Fisher House near Paddock Wood underwent a major overhaul. We also managed to build two high specification bungalows in the grounds. This was made possible in part by the generosity of the

14Review of the Year

Margaret Fisher Trust who made a significant donation, Frederick Drury Wayre Trust, who also gave a generous donation and a grant from the Homes and Communities Agency. I am delighted to be able to use the annual review of the year to thank both organisations for their support.

Mention has been made of Barnes Lodge, named for our former Chairman, Bobby Barnes who, over 14 years, shaped the organisation and played a pivotal role in making the Kent Society the biggest independent Abbeyfield in the world.

Work began on Barnes Lodge early in 2015 and it is astonishing how quickly the structure is taking shape.

The Wish Appeal celebrated its first anniversary during the year, having raised over £15,000 to grant the wishes of residents who have a burning desire to experience something or go somewhere in the closing years of life. The money was raised as a result of various initiatives by the Society’s staff and volunteers as well as the generosity

Review of the Year15

of private individuals and businesses in the county. I am always humbled by the kindness of people and, paradoxically, so proud at what can be achieved as a result of that kindness. I could go on to list all the craft clubs, Valentine’s celebrations, poetry mornings, singing and dancing by professionals, flower arranging, spa days, coffee mornings, trips to the seaside, gardening days, fitness classes, school visits, quizzes and so on and so forth, but I won’t. All I will say is that we have a great track record of catering for more than our residents’ immediate care needs. We also keep them stimulated and entertained. We will continue to do so whether they are in a residential home or an extra-care scheme.

In closing, can I say a very big “thank you” to all those who have worked for us and with us or who have otherwise supported the Society and its work. I began this piece talking about the challenges we face. Let me end by saying that, with so many people and organisations by our side, I have no doubt that we will rise to every single challenge we encounter.

16Review of the Year

CHAPTER III.THE WISH APPEAL.

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19 The Wish Appeal

he Wish Appeal is an initiative launched by The Abbeyfield Kent Society, a charity that provides care, compassion and companionship to older people across the county through a range of housing.

The scheme aims to grant final wishes for the residents living in our care homes, whether that is a trip to the seaside, a day at the park or a meal at their favourite restaurant. We understand that as you grow older, it's the little things in life that mean the most and we want to make the smaller things count.

Unfortunately, as we are a charity, our

20The Wish Appeal

You can donate to The Wish Appeal by visiting:www.justgiving.com/abbeyfieldkent or text ‘WISH05’ followed by the amount, to 70070 e.g. ‘WISH05 £10’

budget isn't limitless. We would love to be able to grant all of our residents' wishes but to make that happen we need a little support.

CHAPTER IV.BOARD MEMBERS.

he Society is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee having no share capital. It is registered with the Homes and Community Agency as a registered provider. As one of the largest providers of residential care in Kent, the Society is also the largest independent Abbeyfield Society in the United Kingdom. It provides permanent and short-term care to over 500 older people through its 14 supported, residential, and extra-care homes.

Under its Memorandum and Articles of Association the direction and control of the Society's activities is exercised by a Board of Trustees.

The Board, during the year of this review, had 10 members, the names of whom are

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Board of Trustees23

listed on pages 25-26. They come from a range of backgrounds and bring together professional, commercial and local experience. The role of the Board is to direct the Society in accordance with its articles and objectives on behalf of members, residents, employees and the community at large. Whilst the Board is ultimately responsible for all decisions and actions taken in the name of the Society, its day to day management is delegated to the Chief Executive working together with the senior management team.

Board members receive regular information, often at Board meetings, as well as bi-weekly updates in order to ensure that they can maintain their skills and a high level of awareness of issues concerning the sector.

Members of the Board receive no remuneration although reasonable reimbursement of mileage and other expenses are made. Executive Directors, known as the Senior Management Team, are not members of the Board and, except for the purposes of salary disclosure, are not

24Board of Trustees

regarded as Directors for legal purposes. The Senior Management Team meets regularly on a formal basis under the chairmanship of the Chief Executive in order to manage the Society within the framework agreed by the Board.

The names of the members of the Senior Management Team are shown on page 31.

Throughout the year, the Society's Trustees have continued to work with staff and volunteers to deliver first class services to our residents and other service users. Elsewhere in this report, mention is made of our achievements during the year. Trustees played a key role in both facilitating those achievements and ensuring their effective, efficient and economic implementation.

The continued application of the Linked Trustee Scheme (where individual Trustees take an active part in the life of individual homes) has continued to assist this process and has provided the Board with a direct line of communication with our residents, which is essential if the Board are to be fully

ZACH MILES.MA FCA

CHAIRMAN.

BOBBY BARNES.FRICS

TRUSTEE.

ROWLEY LEIGH.

TREASURER.

Board of Trustees25

JOHN TOWNEND.B.Sc Hons

VICE CHAIRMAN.

aware of the quality of the care and support we provide.

The Board of Trustees have also played a key role in ensuring that the Society was adequately structured and resourced to implement its first three year strategic plan.

SHIRLEY BRIGHAMMCSP

TRUSTEE.

STEPHEN TOMLINSON

TRUSTEE.

MAUREEN BRADLEYMBA

TRUSTEE.

DAVID TAYLORM.A.OXON

TRUSTEE.

Board of Trustees 26

PETER LAKE

TRUSTEE.

ROSEMARIE PARDINGTON MBA, B.Sc Hons, MCIM, MIQA

TRUSTEE.

nce upon a time, in the

summer of 1926, a boy named Arthur was born. As a

young boy, Arthur spent his time growing up on his parents' farm but he

decided against a career on the farm and voluntarily joined the Army when he was

just 15 years old.

Once out of the Army, Arthur started working for a building company and he met his beau, Margaret. The pair enjoyed courting before marrying in Maidstone, in 1949. Six years

later, the pair’s only son, Robert, was born in the autumn of 1954. The young family enjoyed

spending their days taking long drives and walks in the picturesque countryside, whilst Arthur began working for the Special Constabulary.

Today, Arthur and Margaret’s family have grown and they have two grandchildren and

two great grandchildren. The married couple now live together at Greensted

residential home in Wateringbury where they enjoy reading the

daily papers and watching birds out of their

windows.

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ARTHUR EARL

GREENSTED RESIDENT

AGED 89

CHAPTER V.SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM.

Senior Management Team31

LEON STEERFCIPD

CHIEF EXECUTIVE.

PAULA EVANSRN. DN. Cert. BSc. MSc

DIRECTOR OF CARE.

JANE ILEYCPFA

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ASSET MANAGEMENT.

LAURENCE FOWLER-STEVENSAMINSTLM

DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE SERVICES.

32Compliance Statement

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he Society has continued to ensure that it works toward meeting the expectations of its service users and all its regulators.

All governance arrangements were reviewed during the year against the background of the changed regulatory environment. We are using three National Housing Federation Codes to improve the quality of our governance arrangements. These are the Code of Governance, the Code of Conduct and the Code for Service Delivery as we believe these provide a firm basis for meeting our statutory and regulatory obligations.

The Society has adopted the National Housing Federation's Excellence in Standards Code of Conduct and complies with The National Housing Federation's Code of Excellence in Governance in all but one respect - periods of office. The Society does not believe that the adoption of set periods of office are in its best interests at this time. This will be reviewed annually.

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nce upon a time,

in the city of Liverpool, a girl named Kate was born in the early

summer of 1936. Kate grew up in the city and was her parents' only child.

At 16 years old, she met her husband, Edward Kenneth, whom she called Ken, at a

dance. The pair married six years later, in 1958 before welcoming two sons to the world, Trevor

and Keith.

Ken worked as an engineer whilst Kate enjoyed a varied career in administration, she worked for a range of organisations from Liverpool Hospital to

Crawfords Biscuit Factory.

Kate didn’t always stay in Liverpool as she also spent time living in Norfolk and abroad, before

settling in Maidstone, Kent.

Today, Kate is a grandmother to four wonderful grandchildren. She lives at

Greensted and spends her time on her computer, playing bingo and

reading, she is a big fan of quizzes and puzzles.

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KATE ONEY

GREENSTED RESIDENT

AGED 79

CHAPTER VI.FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE.

he Financial Statements for the year ended 30th September 2014 show a surplus for the year of £1,451,546 before any transfers to reserves, with this a significant improvement on the figure of £673,071 for the previous year.

Included within the increase seen in the 2014 surplus are 'one-off' donations of £150,000 from the Margaret Fisher Trust and £50,000 from the Frederick Drury Wayne Will Trust which have been used towards the cost of refurbishment works at our Margaret Fisher Trust supported housing scheme. The remaining improvement in surplus was due largely to an increase in operating income and in particular the fees, rents and service charges that we receive from residents

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Financial Performance37

within our residential care homes, supported and extra-care housing schemes. Whilst much of the increase here was due to an improvement in occupancy some was also due to growth; with 12 new residential care beds and 3 supported units having been completed during the previous year.

Overall residential care home occupancy for the year was 90.1% with this an improvement on the rate of 87.8% seen for the previous year. Five out of all nine homes achieved occupancy well above our target of 92% however, with an average rate across these homes of 96.3%. The occupancy rate for our supported housing schemes was 86.3% with this, again, an increase from the rate of 84.3% seen in the previous year.

As at the end of September 2014 approximately 44% of the residents in our residential care homes had their fees paid for by a local authority; with this an increase from the figure of 40% as at the end of the previous year. Subject to their own personal circumstances many of those who benefit from our supported housing, extra-care and

38

domiciliary care services may also receive subsidy from a local authority towards their costs. All our housing rents are set in accordance with guidance from the housing regulator on social and affordable rents.

Alongside these improvements in residential income we also saw a growth of approximately 13% in income from our Caring Companions domiciliary care service. The majority of this was due to an increase in the number of tenants using this service in our extra-care housing scheme, Watling Court, in Gravesend. Caring Companions is now also being provided to tenants within a number of our supported homes as well as to residents within a private scheme for whom we provide property management services.

We aim to ensure that our resources are focused on front line service delivery, with this including appropriate investment in those property assets which are used to deliver our services. We have continued to invest in our property stock throughout the year with expenditure of £956,135 on day to day maintenance and planned major repairs

Financial Performance

39

an increase from that of £706,369 for the previous year. Despite this and in contrast to the above growth in operating income, our operating costs have only increased by 2%.

Financial Performance

40Investing for the Future

The Society's strategic focus continues to reflect a desire to continue to provide care, compassion and companionship to the people who use our services both now and in the future. Accordingly our strategic plan reflects a need to plan for anticipated changes in the market for services for older people, ensuring that our property assets remain fit for purpose or are managed in a way that makes best use of them.

Reflecting changes in the wider residential care sector we have seen an increase in the demand for dementia services across all our residential care homes. During the year 56% of new admissions were for clients with a dementia care need. As at the end of September 2014 a total of 52.3% of sold care beds were occupied by residents with a dementia care need, with this an increase from the equivalent figure of 46.4% at the start of the financial year.

Recognising an identified need for more nursing services plans for the proposed development of a new 101 bed care home, on a site adjacent to our existing home in

41 Investing for the Future

Tonbridge, include provision for over 30 nursing beds plus further high need dementia beds. Following the granting of detailed planning permission in May 2014 building works started on site in February 2015 and are anticipated to complete in summer 2016. The proposed site is not in our ownership but the completed property will be leased to us by a special purpose vehicle created to hold the site and funded by a private investment fund.

Alongside this, work has continued to progress our plans to develop further extra-care housing schemes. The long awaited ‘Kent Social Care Accommodation Strategy’, published by Kent County Council in July 2014 has signalled their intent to significantly decrease the number of frail elderly residential care placements to be made over the coming years. The strategy highlights the need for a dramatic increase in the provision of extra care housing within the county, together with residential and nursing care focusing on services for people with dementia.

42Investing for the Future

Outline planning for an extra-care scheme on the site of our existing Tonbridge home was granted alongside that for the new care home in May 2014. A successful bid for capital funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) secured during the year will enable us to develop this site, once the adjacent care home building work has been completed and residents decanted across from the existing home. In addition to this, work is continuing on plans for the development of a further two extra-care housing schemes using funding also secured from the HCA.

Included within plans for all three schemes are proposals to offer a number of extra-care apartments for sale, both on an outright sale and shared ownership basis.

43 Capital Structure

Prior to 2010 the Society was financed largely from retained surpluses, some of which have arisen through the receipt of a number of legacies and donations, which are restricted as to their use.

During 2010, the Society arranged loan funding for the development of its Watling Court extra-care facility, as well as the extension of a number of existing homes.

The funding was secured from Triodos Bank NV on the basis of the Society’s Business Plan for an agreed facility of up to £7.65 million, repayable over 25 years. The loan is subject to annual approval of the Business Plan and a satisfactory performance against agreed financial covenants, including asset cover, which is tested annually. The total balance outstanding on this facility as at the end of September 2014 was £6.92 million.

Current financial projections, as included in the Society’s business plan, show the loan will be repaid by 2035. All funding covenants for the twelve months to the end of September 2014 were met.

nce upon a time,

in the historic market town of Hexham, Northumberland,

a boy named Eric was born. It was October 1920 and the war had not yet been over for two years. Eric grew up

in Northumberland with his parents and brother, who was six years older.

Eric met his wife, Elsie after WW2 and the couple married soon after in 1946, in Newcastle. Eric and Elsie had four daughters together, leaving

him rather outnumbered in a female dominated environment! The young family enjoyed taking holidays in the scenic areas of Northumberland.

After his time in the Air Force, Eric worked for the Cambridge Instrument Company for many years, until the company was taken over in 1968. Eric and Elsie decided to do something different with their lives and opened a hotel in Newquay, where

they worked for 15 years before retiring.

Today, Eric lives in Gillingham, where he moved to be closer to his daughters.

He is renowned for his cheeky personality and enjoys reading the

paper in the conservatory.

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ERIC ROBINSON

ROGERS HOUSE RESIDENT

AGED 94

CHAPTER VII.OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES.

ur strategic focus reflects the Society's desire to continue to provide care, compassion and companionship to the people who need our services now and in the future. To ensure that we can continue to do so long into the future, we will plan accordingly for the anticipated changes in the market for services for older people. We will also ensure our assets remain fit for purpose or are managed in a way that makes best use of them.

With this in mind, the main elements of this strategic plan reflect our continued commitment to:

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v

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49 Strategic Focus and Objectives

the provision of affordable support to all our service users in a manner which underpins our commitment to treating people with dignity and respect;

extending our domiciliary care service, Caring Companions;

improving the quality of all our services so that standards exceed our service users' expectations and those required by regulators such as the Care Quality Commission and Commissioners;

providing services to suitable strategic partners; and

managing our assets in order to ensure that they remain suitable for the services provided within them or, where this is not possible or financially viable, redevelop those assets in support of the Society's strategic objectives.

50Strategic Focus and Objectives

Key Objectives

1. Care servicesProvide efficient and effective care services which offer flexibility and choice, meet or exceed people's needs and expectations and recognises best practice.

2. Housing and related servicesProvide efficient and effective housing services which offer flexibility and choice, meet or exceed people's needs and expectations and recognises best practice.

3. Asset managementManage our property and other assets so as to maximise their potential use - through modernisation, redevelopment and expansion, as appropriate - to meet the growing need for our existing and potentially new services.

4. New businessExpand our core services and support new initiatives likely to benefit our customers and the wider community.

51 Strategic Focus and Objectives

5. Financial viability and value for moneyManage our resources economically, efficiently and effectively, ensuring that the Society remains financially viable, providing quality services and homes which deliver ongoing, planned improvements in value for money.

6. Human resourcesInstill a culture of increasing competence and continued development within our staff to maximise their potential.

7. GovernanceDevelop and sustain high standards and efficiency in the way in which the Society is governed.

8. Promotion of the Society's workEnsure that the work undertaken by the Society is made known to key groups in an appropriate and cost-effective manner.

9. Information and communications technologyProvide ICT systems that support the business and the Society's mission and values.

CHAPTER VIII.MISSION STATEMENT AND VALUES.

55 Mission Statement

he Abbeyfield Kent Society is passionate about providing innovative, affordable and personalised care for older people through a range of high quality services. Based on our Christian values and ethos, our strength lies in meeting the needs, wants and aspirations of older people in a friendly, companionable, community environment, regardless of faith or absence of it and regardless of ethnicity and sexual orientation.

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Central to everything we do are our core values. These describe the way we work together and how we behave with our residents, members of staff, volunteers, Trustees and other stakeholders.

Our core values are:

Our Values

Compassion - Behaving in a manner that treats people with respect and dignity, listening to what they say and responding;

Integrity - Acting at all times in an honest and straightforward way with all those with whom we come into contact;

Openness - Offering high quality services that are adaptable, flexible and that meet the changing needs of service users in a manner that offers genuine choice; and

People focused - Reflecting the ethos inherent in the Society's mission.

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nce upon a time, almost a century ago, a baby girl named

Beatrice was born, amidst the frosty winter months, just a week

before Christmas, in South Norwood, Croydon.

Growing up, Beatrice, known to her friends and family as Bea, was a high achiever and very passionate about sports, playing in the

school’s netball team and taking the crown of high jump champion.

Bea moved to Kent shortly after marrying the love of her life, Charles. During their young days together she worked as a typist, before settling

down to have a family.

Bea and Charles welcomed their only child to the world three years after the end of WW2, a

baby boy named Donald.

Today, Bea lives at Greensted where she has resided for around eight

years, in December she will be celebrating her 100th

birthday.

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BEA FOREMAN

GREENSTED RESIDENT

AGED 99

CHAPTER IX.OUR HOMES IN KENT.

RESIDENTIALRESIDENTIAL

61 Our Homes in Kent

RESIDENTIAL

Connors HouseCapacity: 44Craddock RoadCanterbury CT1 1YP01227 769774

Dene HolmCapacity: 44Deneholm RoadNorthfleet, Gravesend DA11 8JY01474 567532

Edward Moore HouseCapacity: 36Trinity Road, Gravesend DA12 1LX01474 321360

GreenstedCapacity: 3816 The OrpinesWateringbury, Maidstone ME18 5BP01622 813106

62Our Homes in Kent

Rogers HouseCapacity: 41Drewery DriveWigmore, Gillingham ME8 0NX01634 262266

St MartinsCapacity: 41Martin SquareLarkfield, Aylesford ME20 6QJ01732 842628

Stangrove LodgeCapacity: 43Manor House Gardens Edenbridge TN8 5EG01732 864975

The DynesCapacity: 33Nightingale RoadKemsing, Sevenoaks TN15 6RU01959 523834

63 Our Homes in Kent

Watling CourtCapacity: 70Ifield Way, Gravesend DA12 5BP01474 352201

EXTRA CARE

WoodgateCapacity: 46Tudeley LaneTonbridge TN11 0QJ01732 350952

SUPPORTED HOUSING

Drewery DriveCapacity: 11Wigmore, Gillingham ME8 0NX01634 364375

Northwood RoadCapacity: 959 Northwood Road, Whitstable CT5 2HA01227 771310

64Our Homes in Kent

Margaret Fisher HouseCapacity: 1030 Old Kent RoadPaddock Wood, Tonbridge TN12 6JD01892 834550

St Mary’sCapacity: 1115 The GlebefieldRiverhead TN13 3DR01732 460545

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THE END.